Here’s what you need to know this morning.
Teachers strike across NSW
Teachers across NSW are striking today for the second time in six months, ignoring an appeal by the Premier to call off the action.
Teachers will gather at Sydney’s Hyde Park before marching to Macquarie Street at 9:45am in their push for a pay rise to address teacher shortages.
Rallies will also take place in regional areas including Dubbo, Taree and Wagga Wagga.
In an 11th-hour plea to unions, Dominic Perrottet yesterday urged them to reconsider.
He said the government had delayed the negotiations on wages until after the budget is delivered next month.
“Wait until we have a decision and if you believe that action is appropriate to be taken at that point in time, then take it,” Mr Perrottet said.
Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the government had had enough time to resolve the dispute.
“We’ve been seeking direct negotiations with the government since February last year, the posturing must end,” Mr Gavrielatos said.
“To the parents of children in our schools, I ask for your support.”
The Education Department said schools must remain open for students with principals providing some supervision to ensure they are safe.
Most stressed electorate
Sydney is home to eight of the 10 most highly stressed electorates for rental properties in the country.
A report on the financial stress of Australia, released by the University of New South Wales, found more than 76 per cent of survey respondents in Sydney’s south-west electorate of Macarthur had high rental or high mortgage stress.
The study was completed by surveying 52,000 households.
Macarthur covers the suburbs of Campbelltown, Ingleburn, Leumeah, Minto and Oran Park.
Top ex-detective back in witness box
Former top homicide detective Gary Jubelin has denied he set out to “inculpate” Bill Spedding in the investigation into William Tyrell’s disappearance.
Mr Spedding is suing the state of NSW in the Supreme Court claiming police wrongly charged him with historical sexual assaults to pressure him in the Tyrrell case.
Mr Jubelin previously led Strike Force Rosann, the team investigating the disappearance of the three-year-old from a home in Kendall on the state’s Mid North Coast almost eight years ago.
The court heard Mr Spedding was already the “prime” focus of Strike Force Rosann when Mr Jubelin joined in February 2015.
The ex-detective inspector said he believed police had enough evidence to charge Mr Spedding over claims he abused two children in 1987.
Mr Spedding was acquitted of the charges at trial, which heard evidence the story had been fabricated by his former partner.
Adrian Canceri, Mr Spedding’s barrister, said police had access to information showing the claims were false before and after they charged his client.
Mr Jubelin said he took ultimate responsibility for the charges but he had trusted his detectives to thoroughly investigate the matter as a “side issue” to the Tyrrell case.
“I understand the magnitude of the charges,” he said.
“It’s not taken lightly.”
Mr Jubelin will continue his evidence today.
Sydney men accused of smuggling drugs in tyres to face court
Two Sydney men are expected to face court today, charged with trying to smuggle cocaine into Australia by hiding it in tyres attached by chains to the hulls of container ships.
The pair, aged 43 and 47, were allegedly part of a “transnational crime syndicate”.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers allege one of the men tried to retrieve a tyre from a cargo ship docked at Port Botany but dropped it on the ocean floor.
They said the street value of the drugs would have been about $45 million.
“Transnational serious organised crime groups prey on Australia because it is one of the most profitable countries in the world to sell drugs,” Detective Superintendent Matthew Cianta said.
“This outcome should serve as a clear message — no matter how you try to import and hide drugs, and regardless of how successful your plans are, we will find you and you will face the full force of the law.”
A third man from Banksia has also been charged over the alleged smuggling plot and will face court next month.
‘Blatant land grab by developers’
Councils across New South Wales are raising concerns about state government plans to reframe planning laws.
A rezoning discussion paper makes the case for refunding developer application fees if councils fail to meet processing time frames, allowing more court appeals for rejected proposals, and developer-led community consultation.
The Australian Local Government Association said it had serious reservations about the proposal.
Around the Wollondilly shire, on Sydney’s south-west fringe, where major housing growth is forecast, Mayor Matthew Gould said the changes would strip councils of their autonomy.
“[It is] nothing more than a blatant land grab by developers,” Mr Gould said.
“For us it is a direct threat in our efforts to preserve a rural lifestyle and the village character of the area as much as possible.”
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